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Susan Hall: What steps are being taken to tailor the benefits of the Glasgow model for London?

The Mayor: The Glasgow model is, simply, a public health model. This means that violence is regarded as a public health issue in that it impacts on the health and wellbeing of the population as well as individuals:
· It causes ill-health through fear, injury and loss, affecting individuals and communities
· It is contagious, with clusters of incidents linked in time, by place, or by the groups of people affected
· It is distributed unequally across population groups, and contributes to health inequalities
· Violence has root causes, it can be treated, and it can be prevented.
In practice, Glasgow has a number of initiatives in place, some of which are already adapted and operating successfully in London. These include gang violence reduction initiatives and youth workers in health settings. My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime visited the Glasgow VRU in 2018, and officers from the Glasgow VRU have acted as advisors to the VRU Partnership Reference Group. I will ensure that we learn lessons from Glasgow and adapt them to London.

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Sian Berry: What work will the Violence Reduction Unit do around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

The Mayor: The VRU has been established to take a public health approach to tackling violence. We are working with partners across health, education, local authorities, communities, VCS and CJS to develop a clear evidence base for the right priorities to pursue in collaboration to improve and respond to adverse childhood experiences. This work is ongoing and further updates will be provided in due course.

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Sian Berry: What mapping will the Violence Reduction Unit be doing to study mental health in London?

The Mayor: The newly appointed director of the VRU will work with partners including mental health representatives to take an evidence based approach to the VRU delivery strategy and priorities.

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Sian Berry: Following the Violence Reduction Unit Partnership Reference Group meeting on 26 November 2018, what are the Violence Reduction Unit’s main objectives?

The Mayor: At this stage the VRU is very much focused on the objective of stabilising and reducing violence in the short term and to put in place strategies that address the medium and long-term causes of violence.